Sinsamut, Gafurov, Da Silva Kick Off ONE 159 With Spectacular Finishes

ONE 159: De Ridder vs. Bigdash roared into life with a trio of spectacular finishes.

The early winners delivered on all fronts at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, July 22, as the lead card featured a picture-perfect KO, a ground-and-pound stoppage, and a submission victory.

Here’s a recap of what went down in the MMA and Muay Thai fights that opened up the action in the “The Lion City.”

Sinsamut Stuns With Second-Round KO Of Nolan

Sinsamut Klinmee scored his second straight KO in ONE Championship. This time, he did it against fellow lightweight Muay Thai specialist Liam Nolan.

Nolan used his push kicks to keep Sinsamut on the outside in the first round, and when the Thai powerhouse tried to close the distance, the Englishman clinched up and threw him to the ground. As the Pattaya native struggled to deliver anything substantial, Nolan continued to land head kicks.

The tables quickly turned when the bell to start round two rang. Nolan attempted yet another head kick, but Sinsamut timed it perfectly with a left hook and floored his rival. The referee immediately waved off the bout just five seconds into the stanza.

The victory nudged Sinsamut’s combined striking record to 80-16-3 and earned him his second straight US$50,000 performance bonus.

Gafurov Stops Sexton In Grappling Masterclass

In a lightweight MMA battle between two of the organization’s best grapplers, it was Marat Gafurov who emerged victorious after finishing Ariel Sexton by third-round TKO.

The former ONE Featherweight World Champion put the pedal to the metal once the opening bell sounded, taking Sexton down at will and attacking him from different positions. From the mount, he punished the Costa Rican-Canadian with punches. From side control, he droves knees into Sexton’s head.

Gafurov’s aggressiveness paid off in the third round, as he locked in a body triangle and then rained down punches to a defenseless Sexton. The referee was forced to stop the bout at the 4:15 mark, giving the Dagestani the win and bumping his record to 19-4.

Da Silva Chokes Out Jin After Dominant Striking Performance

Fans expected Valmir Da Silva and Jin Tae Ho to deliver nothing but excitement at the start of the evening, and the MMA welterweights didn’t disappoint. 

Both men like to strike, but it was the Brazilian who took control early. Da Silva battered his rival with thudding right hands and low kicks in round one, and then he built on those efforts in the second frame. 

The Brazilian evaded an early kimura attempt from the South Korean and then dropped him with a crunching right low kick. With his rival hurt, “Junior” saw his opportunity and jumped on a tight guillotine choke to elicit the tap at 4:55 of round two.

That gave Da Silva his first victory in ONE and moved his career record to 9-2.